White Butterfly (Clerodendrum volubile) leaves and antioxidant potential in toxicity

Abstract Clerodendrum volubile P. Beauv (Family: Lamiaceae) is an important medicinal plant which grows in forests across West Africa. Traditionally it has been used in the treatment of inflammation, rheumatism, arthritis, diabetes, dropsy, swellings, edema, and gout. So far, many of this folkloric uses have been scientifically validated. In this chapter, we provide an overview of C. volubile leaves, its antioxidant potentials, and its ability to abate toxicity induced by free radical-related damages and oxidative stress. Scientific studies on extracts of plants have suggested antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, hypoglycemic, and hypolipidemic properties of the extracts of C. volubile. Isolated bioactives include protocatechuic acid, iridoid glycosides, pectolinarigenin, and biochanin which exhibit antidiabetic, antiinflammatory, anticarcinogenic, and hepatoprotective activities. The antioxidant property of different extracts and fractions of the C. volubile leaves reported and verifiable in literature have shown that they are potent antioxidant in nature and hence can mitigate oxidative stress-induced toxicities.